As of 2023, the Catholic Church reported a membership of around "1.406 billion,"¹ making it one of the largest religions in the world. In this article, we'll briefly examine some of the major teachings of Catholicism and compare them with God's Word.

 

 

Catholic means universal, reflecting a belief that the Catholic Church is the true universal church Jesus Christ established while on earth. The church traces its origins back to Matthew 16:18, where Jesus said: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." Claiming this verse as evidence, Catholicism teaches that Jesus built the universal church upon the apostle Peter, making him to be the first pope. Further, Catholicism teaches that Peter, along with every pope following, was entrusted with guiding the church doctrinally and spiritually.  

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​Though it is true that Jesus used the apostles to help build the church, (for example, both the apostles Peter and Paul explained to us what salvation and baptism are) the apostles received these truths directly from God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), recognizing that Jesus was the Chief Cornerstone. Consider Ephesians 2:20, which records: “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone;" (Ephesians 2:20). Hence, when Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my church," He was referring to Himself — not Peter, nor any future man.  

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Unfortunately, because the Catholic Church was built upon man’s beliefs and not Christ's, it resulted in several doctrinal errors. Martin Luther recognized these errors within the church and sparked the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when he nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Germany. As the Reformation's name implies, Luther had posted 95 protests against errors in the Catholic Church. Luther disputed the Catholic teaching of works-based salvation, instead proclaiming that salvation is by grace through faith alone, known as sola fide. He also highlighted the

error in the selling of indulgences, the Catholic Church's practice of promising eternal life in exchange for payment.

 

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Unfortunately, even after Luther's struggle for the truth, some of these errors persist today. Hence, let's examine a few of the most prominent and serious errors in light of the truth of God's Word.

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1. The Catholic Church on Salvation

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Error: The Catholic Catechism, the Catholic authority on church doctrine, states: "Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life" (paragraph 2010 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church).²

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Truth: Scripture teaches that there is nothing man can do to attain salvation of his own accord: Ephesians 2:8-9 — "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." The Catholic faith falls into error by teaching that with some of man's effort and some of Christ's effort, a man can earn himself a spot in heaven. Scripture, however, provides a comforting contrast: salvation is 100% dependent upon Christ's atoning work on the cross. Through no effort of his own, man can receive the free gift of salvation (Romans 3:10, 6:23, 1 Peter 2:24, 2 Corinthians 5:21).

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2. The Catholic Church on Mary

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Error: The Catholic Catechism records: “Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ’s victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life” (paragraph 411 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church).³

 

Truth: This exposes another unfortunate error in Catholic doctrine, the belief that Mary was completely sinless. However, the Bible records: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23; also see Romans 3:10, Isaiah 64:6). Mary herself recognized both her sin and her Savior in Luke 1:47: "And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." 

 

Error: Another error that Catholics believe about Mary is that she can be a mediator between God and man. Consider this statement from the Catechism: "Because she gives us Jesus, her son, Mary is Mother of God and our mother; we can entrust all our cares and petitions to her: she prays for us as she prayed for herself: ‘Let it be to me according to your word.’" (paragraph 2677 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church).⁴

 

Truth: The truth is that although Mary had an important part in the salvation plan, she was still guilty of sin and was not fit to be a mediator between God and man. The Bible records that there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5).

 

Error: Additionally, another error concerning Mary is what is called her perpetual virginity, a claim that Mary remained a virgin for the rest of her life. The Catechism states: "In fact, Christ’s birth ‘did not diminish his mother’s virginal integrity but sanctified it.’ And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the ‘Ever-virgin.’" (paragraph 499 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church).⁵

 

Truth: Numerous verses in Scripture confirm that Mary had children with Joseph following Jesus' birth. Consider: Matthew 13:55 — "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?" and Mark 6:3 — “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” The Bible tells us Jesus had at least four half-brothers and at least two half-sisters, showing that Mary was not a virgin for the rest of her life.

 

3. The Catholic Church on the Pope

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Error: A major doctrinal error of the Catholic Church is Papal Infallibility, the belief that when the Pope speaks ex cathedra, or in the capacity of his office, he cannot make an error. Pope Pius IX formulated this doctrine in 1870 at the First Vatican Council. Consider this quote from the Catechism: "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful — who confirms his brethren in the faith — he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or

morals" (paragraph 891 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church).⁶​​ To test this theory, consider a statement Pope Francis made in 2024: “Because every religion is a way to arrive at God… but God is God for all, and if God is God for all, then we’re all sons and daughters of God… There is only one God and each of us is a language so to speak to arrive at God. Shikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, there are different paths.”⁷ This statement proves something very important: we shouldn't trust men without first searching the Scriptures. Why? Because the Bible says in John 14:6 that "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."​ Consider some of these other errors taught by Popes: 

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• Pope Innocent III — 1215 Fourth Lateran Council affirmed transubstantiation.

• Pope Pius IX — 1854 claimed that Mary was without original sin (in other words, that she was not conceived in sin, and therefore had no sin nature).

 

Truth: Remember, no matter the teacher, the Bible commands us not to accept the words of any Bible teacher without studying the Word for ourselves: Acts 17:11— "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." 

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4. The Catholic Church on the Eucharist

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The word Eucharist means “Thanksgiving” — a time to remember and give thanks for Christ’s death on the Cross. It is similar to our communion, where we take bread, representing Christ’s body, and grape juice, representing Christ’s blood. The Catholic Church teaches: “The Eucharist that Christ institutes at that moment will be the memorial of his sacrifice.”⁸

 

Error: However, there’s one major flaw with the Eucharist: the Catholic Church teaches transubstantiation, the belief that the bread and wine literally change in their substance and become the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. Consider this quote from the Catechism: "1376 The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: ‘Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.’" (paragraph 1376 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church).⁹

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To test the theory of transubstantiation, biologists in 2014 ran a test of the elements: “The results of the test showed that all the consecrated hosts gave strong evidence of sections of DNA characteristic of wheat and little to no evidence of sections of DNA characteristic of human beings."    In other words, the claim that the elements miraculously change into Christ's actual body and blood were proven false scientifically. To reconcile this difficulty, the church teaches that only the substance changes (what the elements are), but the accidents (what the elements taste like, etc...) stay the same. 

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Truth: Scripture teaches that the wine and bread are representations, and not the literal body of Christ. 

 

1 Corinthians 11:23-26: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: ... And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. ... For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.” Even though Christ did compare the bread to His physical body, it is still evident from these verses that Jesus reaffirmed that the elements were only a representation, calling them both "bread" and the "cup."

 

Mark 14:23-25: “And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”​ Again, even though Christ did compare the juice to his blood, Jesus still recognized that it was only a representation of his blood, calling the juice the "fruit of the vine."

 

Consider also that Jesus often used representations throughout the Bible that are not to be taken literally:

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1. Jesus said, “I am the door” — was He literally a wooden door? (John 10:9)

2. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd” — was He actually a man tending sheep in a field? (John 10:11)

3. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” — was He physically a flashlight or beam of light? (John 8:12)​    

 

It is safe to conclude that the communion elements, the bread and grape juice, were only representations of Christ’s body and blood. 

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Although there are numerous errors within Catholic doctrine, the good news is this: the Bible says that the truth shall set you free. As Christians, we must be careful to share the truth with our neighbors — Catholic, atheist, and all those in between — telling them of the wondrous gospel message.

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End Notes

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1. Vatican News. “Global Catholic Population Increased by 1.15% Between 2022 and 2023.” Vatican News, 2023, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2023-07/global-catholic-population.html. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

2. Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church: Revised in Accordance with the Official Latin Text Promulgated by Pope John Paul II. USCCB, 2000. https://usccb.cld.bz/Catechism-of-the-Catholic-Church/507/#t=NTA3LHJpZ2h0LDIwNS4xMywxODIuODksMS4wNS,37. Accessed 4 July 2025.

3. Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church: Revised in Accordance with the Official Latin Text Promulgated by Pope John Paul II. USCCB, 2000. https://usccb.cld.bz/Catechism-of-the-Catholic-Church/124/#t=MTI0LGxlZnQsMjc5LjgyLDE0OS4yNiw3NS42OC,36. Accessed 4 July 2025.

4. Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed., USCCB, 2000, p. 663. https://usccb.cld.bz/Catechism-of-the-Catholic-Church/663/#t=NjYzLHJpZ2h0LDQzMi4zNS,21. Accessed 4 July 2025.

5. Bishops, USCCB. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed., 2000. https://usccb.cld.bz/Catechism-of-the-Catholic-Church/146/#t=MTQ2LGxlZnQsMzU5Lj,33. Accessed 4 July 2025.

6. Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed., USCCB, 2000. https://usccb.cld.bz/Catechism-of-the-Catholic-Church/255/#t=MjU1LHJpZ2h0LDQ0OC. Accessed 4 July 2025.

7. Pope Francis. “Pope: All Religions Are Paths to God – Interreligious Meeting with Young People.” YouTube, uploaded by Vatican Media, 13 Sept. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ciUnpSqiOQ&t=95s (Accessed September 2024)

8. Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed., USCCB, 2000. https://usccb.cld.bz/Catechism-of-the-Catholic-Church/178/#t=MTc4LGxlZnQsNDE3LjY1,15. Accessed 10 July 2025.

9. Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed., USCCB, 2000. https://usccb.cld.bz/Catechism-of-the-Catholic-Church/367/#t=MzY3LHJpZ2h0LDIzNC. Accessed 4 July 2025.

10. Church Life Journal. “Modern Science Doesn’t Disprove the Doctrine of Transubstantiation.” 2014,